Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to demolition tools and more particularly, to tools for removing fasteners from wood materials.
Description of the Background
Outdoor decks comprise a series of deck boards nailed side-by-side atop a foundation of deck joists, which are spaced at regular intervals within the deck's framing. The size of the deck, the spacing between adjacent joists, the number of footings and beams used for the deck, and the span distance along a given joist between support elements determines the size of joist necessary for a proper foundation. Most commonly, 2×6″, 2×8″, 2×10″ or 2×12″ wooden boards may be used as joists, with the 2″ side of the joist facing up to support the deck board. The deck boards are attached to the top side of the joist and perpendicular thereto by long (3″) nails or other fasteners which are driven through the boards into the joists. The deck boards in turn comprise the usable top surface of the deck. To build a structurally sound deck, multiple nails are driven through each deck board at each intersection of that board with a joist. Thus, each joist receives multiple nails along its length.
From time to time it is necessary to replace some or all of the deck boards which deteriorate, and, after several re-decking cycles, the entire deck structure itself. This entails removing the deck rails and prying up the nailed-down deck boards. This is typically done with a crowbar or pry bar. The flat blade of the crowbar slides down between deck boards and the user levers each board off the foundation of joists. This motion does not provide a removal force directly along the ads of the nails during the prying operation, and transfers all of the force applied to the board directly to the next fastener in sequence as each fastener fails. Trying to pull the deck boards against the nails may cause the deck boards to shatter. Moreover, most pry bars do not provide sufficient leverage during the prying operation to fully dislodge the nails from the foundation. Consequently, the process of removing deck boards usually results in hundreds or thousands of bent, dilapidated, broken, snapped, rusted or otherwise damaged nails/fasteners still embedded in and protruding from the tops of the joists.
If the goal is to replace the old deck boards with new boards, these protruding fasteners obviously need to be removed or ground down to the surface of the joist in order to create a level surface on which to place the new board. Even where replacement of the deck boards is not an objective, removal of protruding fasteners is necessary as they are a safety hazard which could cause injury to workers who are working to dismantle the remainder of the deck or damage to their equipment. Protruding fasteners should also be removed before recycling or repurposing any of the joists that are eventually removed from the framing.
The process of removing residual decking fasteners was typically done by either pulling nails manually using a claw of a hammer or similar instrument, or by using a handheld reciprocating saw, angle grinder or similar tool to cut the fastener at its base. Both conventional methods requires the operator to bend over or kneel down at the location of each fastener to be removed in order to place the tool level with the top of the joist. Depending on the size of the deck the operator must thus kneel down beside each of hundreds or thousands of residual nails to be removed, extract or remove the residual nails, then move on to the next nail along the top of the joist. After removal of the deck boards, the remaining structure is essentially a series of thin, parallel beams (the joists), which may be the only surface for the operator to stand or kneel on in order to remove residual fasteners. The prospect of crouching, kneeling or bending several hundred times along the length of each joist is potentially daunting.
The process of operating cutting tools such as angle grinders, radial saws, and reciprocating saws is no less daunting. Tools for cutting fasteners including angle grinders and rotary saws have moving blades that can be hazardous to an operator who must position hint or herself close to the cutting area. Cutting may also result in propulsion of the jagged, cut nail head away from the cutting blade potentially toward the operator, causing yet another hazard. In addition, cutting fasteners, and particularly stainless steel fasteners used in virtually all marine decks any many other types of deck installations, generates a considerable amount of heat. Extra heat causes the saw blade to wear much more rapidly than under typical operating conditions, which limits the ability of these types of tools to be used for this purpose.
What is needed is a more convenient means for removing residual fasteners that does not require the operator to undertake the onerous task of bending repeatedly to place a tool next to the protruding fastener and level with the top of the joist. It would also be highly advantageous to have a safer means for removing residual fasteners that does not require the operator to place his or her face or body close to a moving blade or in the path of a cut fastener propelled by such a blade. Such an improved deck fastener removal tool should optimally have a means to ensure that each fastener is cut at the appropriate location to provide a safe, flat surface free of protrusions onto which new decking may be applied, if desired.
It would also be highly advantageous to provide a deck fastener removal tool which automatically collects the severed portions of deck fasteners that have been removed by the tool in a receptacle. This would solve another drawback of prior art methods, wherein jagged, severed portions of cut fasteners must be collected one by one or else be left as potentially hazardous debris on the job site.